IOS versions of the PIX prior to 5.0 used a connection method involving the Private Link Encryption Card to connect between two PIX Firewalls. This method is no longer supported; IPSec is used as the alternative. If your system is still using Version 4 or earlier of the Cisco PIX IOS, it is time to upgrade.

In this configuration, you will use IPSec to connect two networks over the Internet. You will also use manual keys for this example. In this example, your main corporate office uses an internal IP address of 10.1.1.0 with a 24-bit subnet mask, while your branch office uses 10.1.2.0 with a 24-bit subnet mask. (As with any interface accessible from the Internet, the outside interface of the PIX must have a routable IP address.) Figure 4-11 shows a diagram of how these networks are connected.

Figure 4-11 VPN with IPSec(Click image for larger view in a new window)

You need to configure both PIX Firewalls to enable a secure tunnel between them. The configurations that follow show only the items associated with setting up the IPSec tunnels. You will see both configurations and then a discussion of the ramifications of using the commands. Keep in mind that these are examples and, therefore, do not have routable IP addresses on the outside interfaces. In real life, the outside interfaces would need routable IP addresses; inside the corporate LANs, the IP addresses do not need to be routable. The corporate PIX configuration changes are as follows:

In this example, after assigning your outside IP addresses, you added an access list. Because you decided to use manual keys, this access list might contain only a single permit. If you used preshared keys, the access list could contain multiple permit statements. The access list is used to invoke your IPSec connection. When packets are sent to this address, your PIX establishes a connection with the peer, and all data traveling between the two is carried over your tunnel.

crypto map Commands
The crypto map command is used extensively with IPSec. This section examines the forms of this command in Table 4-6 before examining exactly what has to be configured in the examples. The crypto map commands first parameter is always the mapname. The mapname parameter is an arbitrary name assigned to distinguish one map from another. Table 4-6 assumes that crypto mapmapname precedes the command. As with most commands, the no form of a command removes the configuration.

Table 4-6:crypto mapmapname Parameters

Crypto Command

Description

client authenticationaaa-server

This is the name of a AAA server that authenticates the user during Internet Key Exchange (IKE) negotiations.

client configuration address initiate

This forces the PIX to attempt to set the IP address for each peer.

client configuration address respond

This forces the PIX to attempt to accept requests from any requesting peer.

interfaceinterfacename

This specifies the interface, as defined by the nameif command, that the PIX will use to identify peers. When IKE is enabled and a certificate authority (CA) is used to obtain certificates, this must be the interface specified within the CA certificate.

seq-numipsec-isakmp | ipsec-manual [dynamicdynamic-map-name]

The seq-num (sequence number) is the number assigned to the map entry. The seq-num is used in a number of forms of the crypto map command. ipsecisakmp indicates that IKE is used to establish the security association (SA). ipsec-manual indicates that IKE should not be used. dynamicdynamic-map-name is an optional keyword and parameter. The keyword dynamic indicates that the present crypto map entry references a preexisting dynamic crypto map. The parameter dynamic-map-name is the name of the preexisting map.

seq-nummatch addressacl_name

Traffic destined for the IP addresses with a permit statement within the access list defined by acl_name will be encrypted.

seq-numset peerhostname | ipaddress

This specifies the peer for this SA. A host name might be specified if the names command has been used. Otherwise an IP address is used.

seq-numset pfs [group1 | group2]

Specifies that IPSec will ask for Perfect Forward Secret (PFS). group1 and group2 are optionally used to specify whether a 768-bit Diffie-Hillman prime modulus group (group1) or a 1024-bit Diffie-Hillman prime modulus group (group2) will be used on new exchanges.

seq-numset session-key inbound | outbound ahspi hex-key-string

This sets the session keys within a crypto map entry. Using the keyword inbound specifies that the following key-string is for inbound traffic. Specifying the keyword outbound specifies that the key-string is for outbound traffic. One peers outbound key string
must match the other peers inbound key string and vice versa.

The spi parameter is used to specify the Security Parameter Index (SPI). The SPI is an arbitrarily assigned number ranging from 256 to more than 4 billion (OxFFFFFFFF).

The hex-key-string is an arbitrary hexadecimal session key. The length of this key is determined by the transform set in use. DES uses 16 digits, MD5 uses 32, and SHA uses 40 digits.

This is very similar to the previous command, except that it is used with encapsulating security payload (ESP) instead of authentication header (AH). The keyword esp specifies that the ESP protocol will be used.

The keyword cipher indicates that the following hex-key-string is to be used with the ESP encryption transform.

The optional authenticator string is used with the ESP authentication transform.

crypto ipsec Command
You have also seen the crypto ipsec command used within the configurations. There are two major forms of this command, the crypto ipsec transform-set and the crypto ipsec security-association lifetime forms. Both of these can be removed with the no form of the command. These commands are explained in Table 4-7.

If the keyword seconds is used, the seconds parameter specifies how many seconds before an SA will remain active without renegotiation. The default is 28,800 seconds, which is 8 hours. If the keyword kilobytes is used, the kilobytes parameter specifies how many kilobytes of data can pass between peers before a renegotiation must occur. The default value is 4,608,000 KB, which is approximately 4.5 GB.

crypto ipsec transform-settransform-setname

This command defines the transform sets that can be used with the map entry. There can be up to a total of six transform-set-names used within a single line. The transform set attempts to establish an SA in the order that the sets are specified.

Now that you have seen the syntax and uses of the crypto map and crypto ipsec commands, look again at the sample configurations.

You tell the PIX that your crypto map is named mymap with a map number of 10 and that IKE should not be used. This is done with the following line:

crypto map mymap 10 ipsec-manual

Next, you define the name of the transform with the following:

crypto map mymap 10 set transform-set myset

The transform set is defined with the following line:

crypto ipsec transform-set myset ah-md5-hmac esp-des

You previously created an access list 20 and permitted packets originating from the remote sites network. You then set the PIX to look at access list 20. If the packets are traveling to or from an address within this access list, they will be encrypted.

crypto map mymap 10 match address 20

Set the other end of the IPSec tunnel to terminate at 172.30.1.2, which is the outside interface of the branch offices PIX:

Finally, permit IPSec packets into the network with the sysopt command.

sysopt connection permit-ipsec

The branch office PIX configuration is almost identical. The following section points out where it differs.

The branch office PIX has a different outside IP address.

ip address outside 172.30.1.2 255.255.255.252

The access list must reflect the main office's IP addresses.

access-list 20 permit 10.1.1.0 255.255.255.0

The peer is the outside IP address of the main office's PIX.

crypto map mymap 10 set peer 172.30.1.1

The session keys for the branch office are configured in the opposite order of what is configured on the main office's PIX. The inbound key on one side of a connection must equal the outbound key on the opposite side of the connection. The inbound AH session key on the Branch office is equal to the outbound AH session key on the main office's PIX. The inbound AH session key must match the main office's outbound AH session key in order for the connection to be established. The inbound ESP session key matches the main office's inbound ESP session key and the outbound ESP session key matches the main office's inbound ESP session key:

--Our next segment will conclude Chapter 4 of Cisco Secure Internet Security Solutions, and will cover an explanation and configuration of VPN with Preshared Keys, obtaining Certificate Authorities, and PIX-to-PIX configuration.